IMA Calls 24-Hour Healthcare Strike After Assault on Doctors by Politician
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Maharashtra has announced a 24-hour statewide suspension of routine medical services on July 20, 2026, in protest against the violent assault on doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers at Shastrinagar Municipal Hospital in Dombivli.
The IMA has urged the government to take strict action against all those involved in the assault without political interference and to amend the Maharashtra Medicare Act to prevent violence against healthcare workers.
“The involvement of persons holding political office in such brutal attacks undermines democratic values, the rule of law, and public confidence in the justice system. The Government must ensure that there is no political interference in this case and deliver prompt justice to the victims through fair and stringent action against the culprits,” said IMA representative Santosh Kulkarni.
IMA also demanded that the amended act include mandatory registration of first information reports (FIRs), making serious assaults and offences involving weapons cognizable and non-bailable, completion of investigations within 30–60 days, disposal of cases through fast-track courts, and effective provisions for compensation and recovery of damages.
The protest follows an attack on medical staff at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation-run Shastrinagar Hospital. Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) corporator Ramesh Mhatre and several supporters allegedly assaulted doctors, nurses, and other staff after a dispute over the unavailability of a bed in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a newborn.
Medical services will be suspended from 6:00 a.m. on July 20 to 6:00 a.m. on July 21. Routine outpatient department (OPD) services and elective procedures will remain closed, but emergency services, intensive care units, maternity services, and all life-saving treatments will continue as usual.
The IMA’s other demands include round-the-clock security arrangements in all government and private hospitals, strict implementation of a zero-tolerance policy against healthcare violence, a comprehensive central law to protect healthcare workers across the country, and increased investment to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure.
